Indicted sheriff ordered to surrender gun, not make threats

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A federal prosecutor suggested a suspended sheriff in South Carolina has tried to intimidate former deputies from cooperating with investigators that continue to look into corruption charges.

The lawyer for Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood called the case an assault on law enforcement and denied he made any threats during his arraignment on charges he jailed a man videotaping a police investigation from his front lawn on trumped up charges, then created a false police report, tried to destroy the man's cellphone and lied to the FBI.

Underwood, his Chief Deputy Robert Sprouse and sheriff's Lt. Johnny Neal Jr. face several federal charges ranging from civil rights violations to lying to police. All three men appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. They were indicted earlier this month.

The charges against Underwood and his deputies stemmed from a man videotaping the aftermath of a wreck after a police chase in November. The man, who was filming from the yard of his Fort Lawn home, was identified in court papers only by his initials.

Prosecutor Alyssa Richardson on Tuesday asked for monitoring of Underwood while he awaits trial because of threats made against deputies and witnesses as the investigation into Underwood's activities as sheriff continues. She did not give specifics.

The judge agreed instead to an order barring Underwood from contacting anyone involved in the case or sheriff's office employees. Underwood, a longtime state agent and sheriff of Chester County since 2013, also was ordered to give up his guns until his trial.

Suspended Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood gives a thumbs-up as he walks out of the federal courthouse in Columbia, South Carolina, on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. Prosecutors said Underwood jailed an innocent man then created a false police report to cover his tracks and lied to the FBI. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

The sheriff will fight the charges in court, defense lawyer Stanley Myers said.

"This is an assault on law enforcement. They were going out on an active manhunt in rural Chester, South Carolina. One side of the story has been painted. We look forward to giving our side later on," Myers said outside the courtroom.

After seeing the man outside, Underwood ordered him to go back to his porch. The man refused and kept recording for 25 minutes, prosecutors said.

Underwood and his deputies eventually arrested the man, keeping him in jail for three days without a reason, prosecutors said.

The deputies then created a false police report, which they gave to FBI agents that said the man stepped out of his yard into the public roadway and cursed at police, according to the indictments.

The courtroom Tuesday was packed with supporters of Underwood with about a dozen people having to stand because they didn't have seats.

Myers didn't go into details about Underwood's defense, but said he plans to fight the charges.

"Once Mr. Underwood has an opportunity to take the witness stand to give his side of the story, I think that will shed a lot of light on this indictment," Myers said.

Underwood didn't speak as he left the courtroom but gave a thumbs up to reporters standing outside.

Underwood, 55, faces up to 51 years in prison if convicted of five charges against him. Sprouse, 44, faces up to 70 years behind bars if convicted of five charges and Neal, 39, faces a maximum sentence of 35 years if convicted on three counts.

Underwood's wife, Angel, was elected again Monday as the chief magistrate for Chester County, which has about 32,000 people and is about 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Columbia.

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Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP . Read his work at https://apnews.com/search/jeffrey%20collins .